Someone to Forgive Me
by Star Female
Summary: When Ken realizes the extent of the mistakes he made as the Kaiser, who will be there for him? (Kentail, Miyahika, Jyoura, various one-sided pairings.)
1. Second Chances

Disclaimer: What, you really think I own this?  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
"...and Takeru said he was going over to Koushiro's after school to see if he's been able to shut down any of the Kaiser's stuff..."  
  
"..."  
  
It took several minutes for Patamon to realize his older companion wasn't paying attention to him. He poked her with one paw. "Tailmon, are you listening to me?"  
  
Tailmon swore under her breath. Here she was, trying to sort through the events of the past few days, and Patamon would NOT leave her alone.  
  
She turned to her friend, forcing a smile. "I'm just tired, that's all," she lied.  
  
"Oh."  
  
After a few minutes, Patamon smiled as he thought of an idea to cheer his friend up. "Hey, Tailmon, let's go to the cafeteria and get something to eat!"  
  
"Why don't you go to the cafeteria and pick up something for both of us?" she responded almost instantly.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked, giving her a worried look.  
  
She nodded, trying not to scream at the other digimon. He didn't know any better, after all...and she sure as hell wasn't going to tell him what she was planning to do.  
  
She was going to go over to that boy's apartment to see if he was okay. Oh, she knew he had been the Kaiser...but after the way he had looked out in the desert after that Wormmon died, he probably shouldn't be left alone.  
  
Tailmon knew how he must be feeling now...she had wanted to kill herself after her best friend died, too. She had felt so guilty...  
  
No one deserved to have to watch their best friend die before their very eyes...no one, not even the Kaiser.  
  
Which brought her back to wondering how he was doing. He had looked so lost when he walked away from all of them...  
  
Tailmon knew he had gotten home; she had watched the broadcast with Taichi and Hikari. But she knew that didn't necessarily mean he was okay. How could anyone be okay after that had happened? She knew she wasn't, even after three years.  
  
She waited until Patamon had flapped out of sight over the school, then leaped from the tree they had claimed as `theirs' during the day while their partners were in class. As soon as she reached the ground, she took off as fast as she could.  
  
***  
  
Hikari frowned when Patamon told her and Takeru what had happened. "It's not like her to just leave without telling one of us where she's going." Her brows knitted together in worry. "I hope she's okay."  
  
Pulling out her D-terminal, she typed up a short e-mail and sent it out to the rest of their friends.  
  
-Everyone  
  
I've got a bit of a problem; I can't seem to find Tailmon anywhere. Patamon said he went to the cafeteria to get something for them to eat, and when he got back, she was gone. Have any of you seen her? If you have, let her know I'm looking for her. Thanks.  
  
-Hikari  
  
***  
  
Tailmon's sharp vision was perfectly adapted to dark places. As a result, she had no trouble making out the human-shaped form curled up beneath the blankets.  
  
She frowned. *Has he been sleeping all this time? That's not good.At least he's still alive, though.* She tapped loudly on the glass to wake him up.  
  
It took about a minute for the human boy in the bed to roll over and stare at the window in bewilderment. When he saw her, his eyes widened.  
  
"Good, you're awake," she said. "Open the window."  
  
The boy simply ignored her, turning away from her to face the wall again.  
  
With a soft hiss, she raked her claws down the window-pane, quickly regaining his attention. "Open this window and let me inside, or I'll Cat Punch my way in."  
  
The ex-Kaiser obviously believed her threat. Seconds later, he had unlatched the window, allowing Tailmon to enter the darkened room.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked.  
  
"To see how you're doing," she answered simply. "And to talk."  
  
"I don't want to talk to you. You should just leave."  
  
Tailmon folded her arms impatiently. "Not until you listen to what I have to say."  
  
"There's nothing for us to talk about."  
  
"I think there is."  
  
Ken turned away and started to climb back into bed. Tailmon frowned and quickly darted forward, her paw clamping around his ankle.  
  
The human who had called himself the Kaiser glared dully down at her. "Let go, or I'll..."  
  
"Listen. You'll listen to me."  
  
"You don't give up very easily, do you?"  
  
Tailmon's whiskers twitched. "Is that an insult or a compliment?"  
  
"You and your friends defeated me. You won; I lost. There. We've talked. Now go away." Ken pointed toward the open window.  
  
She sighed in exasperation. "It's not that easy. If you want me to leave, you'll have to try harder then that."  
  
"What else do you WANT?!"  
  
Tailmon gestured at the bed. "Sit down. This is going to take a while."  
  
Ken obediently sat down on the bed. It was obvious that the cat digimon wasn't going anywhere until he did what she wanted.  
  
"Like you, I wasn't always a good person," she began. "I was a slave of the Lord of the Undead, Vamdemon. He tortured and beat me to force me to do what he wanted. And what he wanted was to lock away my memories of who I was."  
  
Ken's eyes widened. "He...made you forget who you were?"  
  
"He did. You see, he knew who I was as soon as he saw me."  
  
"How?"  
  
"He could see it in my eyes. I was prophesied as the one who would kill him. So he was afraid of me. In turn, he beat me to make me afraid of him. It was only through the help of my only friend at the time, Wizarmon, that I was able to remember who I was. And also who I was missing."  
  
"The quiet girl with brown hair, right?"  
  
"Her name is Yagami Hikari. And I would do anything for her, even die for her. I almost did."  
  
"How did you find her?"  
  
"It was very hard. Vamdemon brought his army through the Gateway to Earth, and sent out his strongest soldiers to find and kill her. It was during this time that Wizarmon helped me remember who I really was. We went to get the Crest of Light together, but Vamdemon came back early and caught us. Two days passed before the Chosen were able to bring Hikari and I together. Together, all of us were finally able to defeat him. But his defeat came at the cost of Wizarmon's death."  
  
She stole a glance at the human boy to see if he was still awake, then continued. "So, you see, I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you. And I know that someone who's been bad can change, and become good."  
  
Ken remained completely silent.  
  
Tailmon sighed. "Come on, there's something I want to show you. Get your digivice."  
  
The human blinked. "Why?"  
  
"We're going to the Digital World. Open the Gate." She pushed on the backs of his legs to get him over to the computer.  
  
***  
  
The former Kaiser and the cat digimon arrived in a place full of bright colors and soft surfaces. All around them were brown cradles, each with a Hatchling digimon inside.  
  
"Um...where are we?"  
  
"The Village of Beginnings," Tailmon answered distractedly. "Now, where is he...?"  
  
Their attention turned to one of the Hatchlings when it began to speak to Ken. "I know who you are-you're the Kaiser! Even without that outfit, I'd recognize you! Go away!"  
  
"You're right...I WAS the Kaiser. And I did so many terrible things...It's MY fault that Wormmon's dead. If I hadn't been so blind to the truth, then he would still be alive now."  
  
"You're a liar-you don't want to find him because you want him back. You want him back because you just feel guilty for his death. Do you really think Wormmon will come back to you just so you can hurt him again? After everything you did, we're not going to forgive you! You're not welcome here! Go away!"  
  
"Wormmon...isn't coming back? Just like Osamu never came home after the accident. I'm not sure I can face this. Wormmon's not coming back, and neither is Osamu. I caused them both to die. I hated my brother for getting all the attention; and I hated Wormmon because I thought he wasn't worthy of me. But I was wrong; it's just the opposite: I wasn't worthy of him! My hands...my hands are covered with the blood of everyone who I killed. How could I have allowed this to go so far? If I only had a second chance, then I'd tell them I'm sorry. Wormmon...Osamu, I'm so sorry!"  
  
"It's too late to ask for forgiveness. You can never go back in time and change what you did."  
  
"You're wrong," Tailmon said. "Do you recognize me? I was a slave of Vamdemon, and I was able to change! I was given a second chance, and changed-just like Ken has-and the Chosen accepted me. So why can't you accept him now?"  
  
"Because you were a slave, and Vamdemon forced you to do all those evil things! No one was forcing the Kaiser to do anything; everything he did, he wanted to do!"  
  
"You're wrong again. He didn't force me to do ALL of those things. I chose to do a lot of them."  
  
"But he made you forget who you were. And besides, you're one of the Chosen! You helped to save all of us, and our world!" The Hatchling turned back to Ken. "You can just crawl back under whatever rock you came from, and leave us and our world in peace!"  
  
"Can't you let me start over? I know I've caused all of you so much pain when I was the Digimon Kaiser...but I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me! The cruel things I've done in the past won't ever leave me, but I've got to move on with my life. The memories I have of Osamu and Wormmon...I'll use them to do good instead of evil. Wormmon asked me to never forget who I am...but I broke that promise. I DID forget. I've spent my entire life trying to be someone I'm not. Whether I was the cruel Digimon Kaiser, or trying to be my brother...I've never really been myself! But now I'll be the person who Wormmon wanted me to be."  
  
Tailmon watched in fascination as an unfamiliar Crest appeared in Ken's hands.  
  
He stared down at it in bemusement. "What's this?"  
  
"That's a Crest," Tailmon replied. "I don't know what it represents, though...But if you have it, it must be yours."  
  
"Are you sure it's mine?"  
  
"Positive. Now, let's hatch your friend's egg." Tailmon leaned up and lifted the mottled egg out, keeping a secure hold on it. She then handed it over to Ken.  
  
A few minutes passed before the egg began to hatch in Ken's hands. Both he and Tailmon watched as a small green digimon emerged. It squealed when it saw who was holding it. "Ken! I knew you'd keep your promise and come find me!"  
  
He pointed down at the cat standing by his side. "Thank Tailmon. She's the one who brought me here."  
  
Leafmon blinked. "She did? Thanks, Tailmon."  
  
She nodded in reply. "Come on, let's go home."  
  
"W-wait," Ken said hesitantly. "I have something to say to you. Thanks for making me listen to you earlier."  
  
"Hey, someone had to knock some sense into you," she replied.  
  
"Do you..." Ken swallowed. "Do you want to come over again sometime? I'd...like to talk some more."  
  
"Of course." Tailmon nodded. "And I'd like to get to know this little guy better. He's so cute!" 


	2. Redemption

Disclaimer: What, you really think I own this?  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
"That jerk..." Miyako muttered. "He destroyed so much, and killed so many people! I've never seen so much destruction."  
  
"I guess..." Daisuke said. "I wonder, though...What do you think he's doing right now?"  
  
"Maybe he's only pretending to have changed?" Hikari wondered.  
  
"If he HAS changed, don't you think he'd be helping us repair all this damage?" Hawkmon asked.  
  
"I don't think he'll ever come back to the Digital World," Miyako answered her partner. "I don't think after everything he did, that the digimon would ever forgive him."  
  
*This digimon has,* Tailmon thought as she held up a board of wood so Daisuke could hammer it into place. *All of you are wrong. He HAS changed; I've seen it with my own eyes.* She laughed inwardly. *I never thought I'd make friends with the Digimon Kaiser. It's funny how these things work out...*  
  
"You're right," Iori said, scowling. "I can't forgive him either. Not EVER!"  
  
***  
  
"Hey, look at that!" Daisuke shouted, pointing toward the field outside of town. "Those three digimon are fighting! Do you think we should stop them?"  
  
"That digimon looks awfully like Armadimon," Miyako said. "I wonder if that's his Adult form?"  
  
Takeru nodded. "Probably. Come on, everyone; let's help them out!"  
  
Iori turned to his friends as they came rushing up. "That digimon just attacked Armadimon and me for no reason!"  
  
"That's odd," Miyako replied. "Sure doesn't look like he's wearing an Evil Ring or Evil Spiral..."  
  
Ankylomon was trying to avoid the attacks of the smaller digimon while an insect digimon with dark green armor seemed to be trying to help him.  
  
"I wonder who that is," Hawkmon wondered, turning his gaze to the battle.  
  
"IORI, WATCH OUT!" Hikari screamed.  
  
The younger boy was pulled into the air by the wind caused by the two digimon fighting in the sky. The insect digimon noticed and caught Iori in his arms, then set him on the ground next to his friends.  
  
Iori stared after him as he returned to the battle. "I wonder who he is...I've never seen a digimon like him before."  
  
"All of you, look over there!" Daisuke exclaimed, pointing at the boy standing on the roof of the low building.  
  
"What's Ken doing in this world?" Takeru muttered. "I thought he wasn't going to come back here."  
  
The Chosen stared as the insect digimon landed behind the former Kaiser and devolved into a familiar Child digimon.  
  
*That's Wormmon,* Tailmon thought. *Good to see them working together.*  
  
"I didn't know Wormmon had hatched again," Hikari said. "Let alone discovered how to evolve."  
  
They watched as their former enemy left, Wormmon following him.  
  
"I need to use the woods," Tailmon said. "I'll be back in a while."  
  
***  
  
Tailmon emerged from the undergrowth into the clearing where Ken and Wormmon were resting. "Are the two of you all right?" she asked.  
  
"I've been better," Wormmon said. His antenna drooped. "I couldn't stop that woman from getting away, Ken."  
  
"What woman?" Tailmon asked.  
  
"There's been a strange woman hanging around the Dark Towers," Ken replied. "She can turn them into things that look and fight like digimon, but aren't really digimon."  
  
"Well...that's definitely odd," Tailmon muttered. "Well, don't worry, Wormmon. I'm sure you'll get another chance at her."  
  
The green caterpillar nodded, a look of determination entering his blue eyes. "And I won't fail you next time, Ken."  
  
***  
  
"You know what I think, Hikari?"  
  
The brown-haired girl turned her gaze toward Daisuke questioningly. "What?"  
  
"I think maybe Ken might not be such a bad guy, after all. I mean, he did help us out last time, you know?"  
  
"He'll have to prove himself to us first. He's done some awfully horrible things."  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Iori, you know...I was thinking about Ken."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, you know, I think he might be a Chosen Child. He's got a partner and a digivice and everything."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Well, I'm thinking of asking him to join our..."  
  
"I don't think so, Daisuke."  
  
"Hey, it was just an idea. You don't have to be so rude about it."  
  
***  
  
"You know what? Ken really has changed. He's not the Digimon Kaiser anymore."  
  
"I don't know," Miyako said uncertainly. "I thought he changed, too. Especially after Wormmon died. It seemed as if he finally figured out that digimon were real people. But after that battle in the Digital World, I don't know what to think. He seemed an awful lot like the Kaiser. The way he just ordered Stingmon to kill that digimon...I'm sorry, Daisuke. I just don't think we can trust him, after all."  
  
"Man, nobody ever believes me! I guess I just need to do this on my own."  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Ken!" Daisuke called out as he came running up.  
  
Tailmon quickly ducked under a bush before the red-haired boy caught sight of her. She had been hoping to just have a quiet picnic with her newfound friends...but it looked like that wasn't going to happen.  
  
"What are you doing all the way out here?" Ken asked, standing up and brushing the sand off his pants. "Are you just going to tell how awful I've been, like your other friends?"  
  
Daisuke shook his head. "Not me. Sure, you've done some pretty terrible stuff, but you're not like that anymore!"  
  
"You're the last person I'd expect to forgive me. Especially after what I did to you in the desert."  
  
Daisuke laughed nervously. "Oh, that..."  
  
Tailmon's forehead wrinkled in confusion. *What happened in the desert? And why didn't Daisuke tell any of us about it?*  
  
"Look, I've got an idea. Why don't you and Wormmon come back with me? I'll introduce you guys to my friends, and you can tell them you're sorry!"  
  
"It's not that easy, Daisuke," Ken replied. "I'm not ready to face them yet. And I don't think they're ready to stop hating me."  
  
"Hey, they don't hate you; they just don't understand you! I know you're sorry for what you did, but they don't."  
  
"What makes you so special?"  
  
"I never said I was special! I just think you're better then you give yourself credit for!"  
  
"I wouldn't be too sure."  
  
"We could really use your help, you know. Some really weird stuff has been happening in the Digital World."  
  
"Daisuke...I appreciate you being honest with me and all...but it's just not that easy. I can't join you."  
  
"What do you mean, you can't join us? Why not?"  
  
"I just can't. I'm sorry." Ken turned and started walking away from Daisuke.  
  
Wormmon glanced between the two boys, then turned and began following his partner.  
  
"Hey, where are you going? Come on, we could be your friends! Don't turn your back on us, Ken!"  
  
Tailmon kept to the shadows as she crept after the human, in order to keep out of Daisuke's sight. *It's past time that the others forgave him and let the past die. I just hope he can find a way to forgive himself.*  
  
***  
  
"You can do it!" Ken called. "Now! Get him!"  
  
"Spiking Finish!" Stingmon called out. The lance mounted on his forearm glowed with a fuchsia energy and extended as he lunged forward.  
  
"Cat Punch!" Tailmon shouted. She leaped up from the ground, driving her fist into the false Snimon's face.  
  
It snarled and swung at her with the blades on the ends of its arms. She easily somersaulted out of the way, landing on her feet. She stared at the monster's face, her eyes glowing bright red. "Cat's Eye Hypnotism!"  
  
The false Snimon froze in place, giving Stingmon the opportunity to destroy it with another Spiking Finish.  
  
"We did it, Ken!" Wormmon said happily as he rejoined his partner.  
  
"Yeah, the three of us make a great team, don't we?" Tailmon replied. "Unfortunately, I don't think we've seen the last of that woman."  
  
"I'm starting to think that maybe Daisuke's right," Ken said. "Maybe Wormmon and I SHOULD join your team after all, Tailmon. I don't think the three of us can do this alone."  
  
***  
  
"How can we stop him without hurting him?" Miyako exclaimed, watching in horror as Golemon punched another hole in the dam.  
  
"I don't think we have much of a choice anymore," Daisuke said.  
  
Miyako's face paled. "You're not SERIOUS!"  
  
Daisuke ignored her. "We're going to have to kill him."  
  
"Are you INSANE? He's a living creature, Daisuke! We'll just have to think of some other way to stop him!"  
  
"I don't think there IS a better way."  
  
"Let's at least try to keep protecting the dam."  
  
"Look, Miyako, the longer we fight him, the more time he has to destroy the dam. If we don't stop him, hundreds of people are going to die! We haven't got much choice!"  
  
"If we kill Golemon, we won't be any better then Ken and Stingmon! We really need to find a way to stop him without hurting him!"  
  
Tailmon growled in annoyance. "Miyako, would you really let hundreds of people just so you won't have this thing's blood on your hands? Ken did what he did to save lives, which is what we're going to have to do now!"  
  
"Why do Daisuke and Tailmon always take Ken's side, even after they saw what he had Stingmon do? How can they POSSIBLY think Ken has changed?" Miyako exclaimed.  
  
"He's going to break the dam!" XV-mon called out. "Make up your minds; something has to be done!"  
  
Golemon snarled as a green blur dropped from the sky and grabbed his arm to prevent the blow from landing.  
  
"All right! I KNEW they'd come to help us out!" Daisuke shouted.  
  
"There's something all of you have to know!" Palmon pointed in Golemon's direction. "That thing isn't a digimon!"  
  
"...What?" Takeru asked in confusion.  
  
"There's a woman. I'm not sure if she's a human or a digimon...but she has the ability to cast spells on the Dark Towers and transform them into things that look like digimon, but aren't!"  
  
"That last digimon we fought must have been a reshaped Dark Tower...and I bet Ken and Stingmon figured that out!" Daisuke realized. "And that's the real reason why Stingmon destroyed it!"  
  
Meanwhile, Tailmon had joined Stingmon on top of the dam. "Let's show this rockhead what we can do!"  
  
The other Adult digimon attacked from below, their power spiraling together into a single beam of raw energy that slammed into the false digimon.  
  
They stared in shock as Golemon's skin dissolved, revealing the reshaped Dark Tower material beneath. Then it dissolved.  
  
***  
  
"I won't make any excuses for the things I've done...but I AM sorry."  
  
"Thanks for helping us out back there," Daisuke said. "Without your help, who knows what would have happened?"  
  
"It was the least I could do after all the trouble I caused you. I want you to know that Wormmon and I have NOTHING to do with that woman. She's found a way to change the Dark Towers into false digimon through some sort of dark magic."  
  
"If you knew about all this, why didn't you say something?" Hikari asked.  
  
"We created the problem, so we wanted to fix it ourselves," Wormmon replied.  
  
"And I wasn't sure if you would believe us," Ken said.  
  
"Well, I would have, but the rest would've taken some convincing. But we can start over now. Why don't you join us?" Daisuke said.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I'm just not ready yet."  
  
"Hey, at least think it over! We could really use your help!" Daisuke called after him.  
  
***  
  
Tailmon hissed, her fur standing on end. "Don't touch that, Ken."  
  
"It's pure evil. And...I built it. But I can't understand how Arachnimon can use them for her own purposes."  
  
"You'll be able to figure it out," Wormmon said.  
  
"Thanks, Wormmon. I'm glad someone still has faith in me."  
  
"But the important thing is to have faith in yourself," Tailmon reminded him.  
  
"I built these things...I should have some idea of how they work...but I don't. The Kaiser would have known...but I'm not that person anymore."  
  
"That's a relief," Wormmon said.  
  
"Just looking at them makes me sick to my stomach."  
  
"Put your head between your knees and take a deep breath," Tailmon ordered. After she was sure her friend would be all right, she continued. "If you don't understand how to turn them off, then Stingmon and I will just have to destroy them all."  
  
***  
  
"You again!" Ken exclaimed, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"I see you've made friends with one of the Chosen Children's pets," Arachnimon said from the computer screen.  
  
Tailmon snarled wordlessly at her, extending her claws warningly.  
  
"Oh, did I come at a bad time? I'll leave you and your pets alone then, Kaiser."  
  
"No, wait!" Ken protested, glaring at her.  
  
"Why should I? Your friend is very rude."  
  
"Of course she is, because you won't leave us alone! What do you want?" Ken demanded.  
  
"What makes you think I want anything from you?" she asked.  
  
"Then WHY are you bothering us?" Tailmon hissed.  
  
Arachnimon laughed. "Curiosity killed the cat. It's none of your business. Or yours, Kaiser."  
  
"Of course it's my business-you're using the Dark Towers that I built! My creations...my shame."  
  
"You think rather well of yourself, don't you, Kaiser?"  
  
Ken looked down, while Wormmon leaned against him.  
  
Tailmon's fur bristled, her ears flattening. "You USED him!" she hissed in realization.  
  
"Of course I did! Amazing that you were able to figure it out so quickly."  
  
She snarled in rage. "No one hurts one of my friends like that and gets away with it!"  
  
"How amusing...one of the Chosen pets defending their defeated enemy." Arachnimon's attention turned back to Ken. "You were so easy to manipulate; the perfect tool. People with something to prove are so easy to mold."  
  
"But why did you have to pick me?"  
  
"Why me, why me, why me...You really should stop asking that. It's an easy question to answer. You were there."  
  
"We're not going to let you get away with this!" Tailmon hissed.  
  
"I already have; and it's too late for you to stop me."  
  
The feline digimon's eyes narrowed. "Now I understand why you're here." She reached out and closed the program. "She was trying to distract us. Well, it's not going to work. Our friends are in danger!"  
  
***  
  
Ken, Wormmon, and Tailmon raced over the top of the sand dune and skidded down the side, tumbling into a heap at the bottom.  
  
Tailmon shook out the sand from her fur and pointed toward the distance. "Over there! They're fighting something! Come on, let's go!"  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the Chosen Digimon were circling around a false digimon and attacking at set intervals.  
  
Hikari's face took on an expression of relief when she saw the distant shapes come close enough for her to be able to make out who they were. "Tailmon!"  
  
"I'm ready, Hikari!"  
  
"Digimental up!"  
  
"Tailmon, armor evolve..."  
  
Her body grew into that of a sphinx-like figure. Her front paws expanded to fit the larger proportions of her evolved body, while white-feathered wings grew from her back. Armor covered the front of her body, while her tail waved in the air behind her.  
  
"...The Light of Smiles, Nefertimon! Curse of Queen!" She lowered her head as a beam of fuchsia energy burst from the stylized snake-like symbol on the top of her headdress.  
  
The Ookuwamon snarled as her attack scored a long wound along its side, revealing the Tower-material beneath.  
  
"Hey, what took you guys so long?!" Daisuke called. "The others didn't believe me when I said you were coming! Where's your Crest? Koushiro said it might be able to stop all these explosions!"  
  
"This is something I have to do by myself," Ken replied. "It's my responsibility; I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me."  
  
"Well, THAT sounds awfully familiar," Nefertimon grumbled, as the battle began to turn in their favor. She allowed herself to revert to her Adult form. "I think I said something like that myself, a couple of years ago."  
  
"Are you are trying to get yourself killed or what?" Daisuke asked incredulously.  
  
"It's my Crest, my base, my fault...And I won't let anyone else die for my mistakes. The only way I'll feel like a person again is to wipe out every trace of the evil things I did. Including myself."  
  
"So you think it's all right to kill yourself?" Tailmon asked, her tail lashing the air. "I won't let you. Cat Punch!"  
  
The force of her blow drove Ken down into the sands.  
  
"You're going to listen to what I have to say," she growled. "I won't let you kill yourself! If you won't think of yourself...then think of the people who care about you: your parents, Wormmon, Daisuke, me..."  
  
"If I die, then..."  
  
"Then what? How can you fix your mistakes if you're dead?" Daisuke asked. "Sure, you've made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, even me! The important thing is, you have to stop making mistakes and start helping fix them!"  
  
"I don't know how..."  
  
"Then just keep trying until something works! And until you do, then we'll help you, too. Because that's what friends do; they help you out, even if things get really bad!"  
  
"But what if you don't have friends?"  
  
"What do you mean, you don't have friends?" Daisuke demanded. "Wormmon's your friend, so's Tailmon. I'll be your friend, too, if you let me."  
  
The Chosen watched in awe as twin blue auras burst from their friends' bodies. They were even more surprised when XV-mon and Stingmon merged into...  
  
"...Paildramon!"  
  
"Now let's stop these explosions!" Daisuke called to Ken, who answered with a nod.  
  
"Daisuke, wait!" Takeru called after his friend.  
  
"Tailmon, come back!" Hikari shouted. "It's not safe in there!"  
  
Miyako watched her two friends disappear into the darkened entrance, her mouth hanging open in astonishment. "I guess Daisuke and Tailmon didn't hear you, Takeru."  
  
"No, wait..." Armadimon pointed in the direction they had gone. "The explosions are stopping; they must've fixed the problem!"  
  
The Chosen froze as another explosion sent out a shockwave that threw them to their knees.  
  
"Their plan didn't work? Why not?" Patamon asked in surprise.  
  
***  
  
Inside the former Kaiser's base, Daisuke was wondering the same thing. "I don't get it! We did everything we were supposed to!"  
  
"...The pipes..." Ken nodded to himself. "These pipes send energy to the reactor that provided energy to this place! We just have to follow them, and we'll find the source of these explosions."  
  
The three friends rounded a corner, only to stop short when they were confronted with a wall of rubble completely blocking the passageway.  
  
"I can take care of this," Tailmon said. "Stand back! Cat Punch!"  
  
After enough of the debris had been cleared away, they were able to continue, and soon found themselves at the reactor.  
  
"It's so cold," Daisuke said. "Why is it so COLD?"  
  
"Your body isn't cold," Tailmon explained. "You can sense it, because you're a Chosen Child. The air is filled with the chill of evil!"  
  
"That hole is a gateway to the Dark Area," Ken said. "This power has surrounded me ever since I can remember."  
  
"We need to close that Gateway," Tailmon said. "But it would take too long for me the way I am now..." She sent out a mental call to her partner. *Hikari, I need your help! The only way I can continue to help our friends is to evolve!*  
  
*Okay...*  
  
Tailmon felt the Light's power surge through her body, surrounding her in a sphere of transparent fuchsia light. "Tailmon, super evolve..."  
  
Her tail and ears shrank into her body, which twisted, quickly growing into the figure of a human-like woman. Long golden hair flowed from her head. Bright blue cat's eyes were briefly visible before her mask came down, hiding the upper half of her face from view. Eight feathery white wings sprouted from her back. A lavender ribbon wrapped around her arms, looping over her head. Her left hand was covered with a white glove, while her body was covered with an outfit of white cloth.  
  
"...ANGEWOMON!"  
  
The woman turned to look down at the two boys. "You might want to step back," she said. "This might create another explosion."  
  
After she was sure they were at a safe distance, she released a Holy Arrow directly above the dark gateway. She waited to make sure the hole was completely blocked, then rejoined her male friends.  
  
Daisuke and Ken were both staring at her, their mouths hanging open.  
  
"Oh, that's right..." Angewomon muttered. "I forgot you've never met me before. You can call me Angewomon, and I'm Tailmon's Perfect form."  
  
The two boys continued to stare in something close to astonished disbelief. "P-perfect...?" Ken stammered.  
  
Angewomon sighed and reverted to Tailmon, who rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Can we get back to our friends now, PLEASE?"  
  
***  
  
"We made a great team, Ken," Daisuke said as the three of them rejoined the rest of the Chosen.  
  
"I still don't feel as if I deserve to call you my friends."  
  
"Look, you've earned our friendship," the red-haired boy answered. "Sure, you started out as the Kaiser, but you changed and now you're our friend! I won't take no for an answer."  
  
"I've done so many terrible things...things I can never be proud of."  
  
"So have I. But now look at who I am! People CAN change," Tailmon reminded him, glancing at Iori.  
  
"Yeah, what she said! Everyone makes mistakes, Ken!" Daisuke said.  
  
"I still need some time to think about all of this," the other boy said, turning and beginning to walk away.  
  
"Wait, don't go, Ken!" Daisuke called after him.  
  
***  
  
Wormmon shivered as he continued to follow his partner, glancing around at the trees surrounding them. "Something...doesn't feel right here..."  
  
"You're right," Ken answered as he walked. "There's something wrong about this place..." He glanced to the side and gasped in shock as a vision of black water appeared through the trees.  
  
Wormmon watched in horror as his best friend fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming. "Oh, no, Ken! Help! Someone help us!"  
  
***  
  
In another part of the same forest, Hikari, Tailmon, Miyako, and Hawkmon were searching for Tailmon's lost Holy Ring.  
  
Tailmon skidded to a stop as she heard her friend screaming somewhere in the distance. "That's...Ken's voice! Something's wrong!"  
  
Hikari stared as her digimon took off. "Tailmon, where are you going? Come back!" She hesitated for a few seconds, then ran off after her partner. "What's the matter, Tailmon?"  
  
Tailmon continued running as she replied to Hikari's question. "It's Ken! Didn't you hear him scream just now, Hikari? Something's wrong with him!"  
  
The two friends came to a stop as they entered the clearing where Wormmon was hovering anxiously over Ken, who seemed oblivious to anything except the pain he was in.  
  
Tailmon knelt next to her distressed friend, taking his hand in her paw. "Ken, it's Tailmon. Hikari and I are here now, everything's going to be okay. Can you hear me?" Her gaze turned to Wormmon. "What happened to him?"  
  
Wormmon shrugged helplessly. "I don't know..."  
  
Tailmon's attention returned to Ken as his eyes opened. "You need to tell me what happened, Ken, or Hikari and I can't help you."  
  
The blue-haired boy shivered, gripping her paw enough to hurt, but she ignored it. Pain meant nothing to her if she could help him. "The ocean...It was the Dark Area..."  
  
Behind them, Hikari gasped in realization. "Could it be...the place I was brought to? The grey beach?"  
  
Miyako, who had just arrived, stared in confusion. "What are you talking about, Hikari?"  
  
Tailmon helped Ken to a sitting position, in spite of his protests. "It's okay, Tailmon. I'm fine now."  
  
***  
  
Takeru was staring down at his D-3 as he walked. "I don't like this at all...We should have found them by now...Wait a minute!"  
  
The other Chosen turned to look at him. "Did you get a lock on them?" Daisuke demanded.  
  
"That doesn't make sense...I'm picking up three other signatures. Two of them must be Ken and Wormmon, but..." His eyes widened. "There's something coming after them! I've never heard of anything that could have such a powerful energy signature! What could it be?" 


	3. Nightmares

Disclaimer: If you really think I own this, there's something wrong with you.  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
"Hey, you guys...?" Miyako said suddenly. "Hate to say it, but I think we're lost."  
  
"Lost...?" Hikari repeated, her gaze moving across her surroundings to rest on a tall oak tree with a large hole in the trunk. "...You're right; I've seen that tree before."  
  
Tailmon cleared her throat loudly to get the attention of her friends. "We've got bigger problems to worry about right now then just being lost." She pointed in the direction of the figure descending out of the sun. "We'd better hide. I don't know who or what that is, but evil is practically RADIATING from it."  
  
The Chosen scrambled into the hole in the oak tree; Tailmon's instincts were never wrong.  
  
"Shouldn't we, you know..." Miyako paused. "Try to fight it or something?"  
  
Ken shook his head as a hazy memory came back to him. "I don't think so. I've seen that digimon before...in the desert. I'm not sure, but I don't think we have a chance against it, for some reason...I wish I could tell you more, but that's all I can remember. I'm sorry..."  
  
Miyako peered at the creature as it landed, trying to get a better look at it. "Looks kinda like Chimeramon to me."  
  
Hikari nodded in agreement. "But it looks a little like Mugendramon, too."  
  
Until now, Wormmon had been just as puzzled about the creature's identity as the rest of them. But as he heard Miyako and Hikari's descriptions of it, his eyes widened enormously. "Oh, no..."  
  
His friends turned toward him with questioning looks. "If you can explain to us what manner of creature that is," Hawkmon said urgently, "might I suggest you tell us now? It's coming closer!"  
  
Wormmon had begun to shiver, and was unable to stop. "M-Millenniumon..."  
  
Tailmon's fists clenched, and she swore loudly. "Oh, FUCK me..."  
  
"So he's Millenniumon," Miyako said with a shrug. "What's the big deal?"  
  
Tailmon began to tap the claws on her left hand against the ground; it was one of her nervous habits. "He's the most powerful digimon I've ever heard of; even stronger then Apocalymon. I've only fought him once; in order to win, we all needed a little.outside help. I didn't think he was still alive, though."  
  
Miyako stared at the Adult digimon in disbelief. "Are you saying we shouldn't even bother trying to fight him?!"  
  
Tailmon gritted her teeth; what she was about to say was hard for her to admit. "We only have the slimmest chance of getting out of here alive, unless by some miracle Hawkmon, Wormmon, and I all spontaneously evolve to our Ultimate forms."  
  
"Gee, could you be any more optimistic?" Miyako muttered. "My day isn't completely ruined yet. Tell us something worse, why don't ya?"  
  
"TIME UNLIMITED!"  
  
Miyako gulped. "I take it back. I want someone to NOT listen to me for once!"  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Iori, Takeru!" Daisuke called as he and V-mon came running up. "I hope you guys had better luck then we did!"  
  
Iori quietly shook his head. "We're sorry, Daisuke. They just disappeared. It doesn't make sense, though. They can't have gone THAT far!"  
  
Takeru also shook his head in resignation as Angemon set him down. "Even Angemon and I couldn't find them; not one trace. It's as if they disappeared into thin air! Even their energy readings disappeared; I can't pick up any trace of them on my D-3."  
  
"Aw, come on," Daisuke growled. "We've just gotta try harder! They're around here somewhere and we'll find them! Right, V- mon?"  
  
The small blue dragon nodded in agreement. "Sure we will, Daisuke!"  
  
"Let's get going, buddy!" the red-haired boy exclaimed after watching his friends take off in two separate directions.  
  
***  
  
The Kaiser's slow gaze moved over the boy kneeling in the desert sands. "How does it feel to be such a failure, Daisuke?"  
  
He glared silently at the other, tears coursing down his face as he struggled not to look at his friends' torn bodies. "Murderer..."  
  
Ken shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. You've lost this war; there's no one left to help you now. Crawl back to Earth, sniveling insect."  
  
He climbed onto the Airdramon's head, smiling in satisfaction at the massacre beneath him as his slave returned to his base.  
  
"I've won! This world is truly mine now." He threw back his head and laughed. "DO YOU HEAR ME, OSAMU? IT'S ALL MINE!"  
  
***  
  
Wormmon cowered in the darkest corner of the throne room. Ken had returned in a better mood then he had been in for the past few days, and the green caterpillar had a sinking suspicion that he knew why.  
  
The Kaiser searched through the various monitors until he found the location of the older red-haired boy and the purple dragon-creature who had been his friends once upon a time. "Devidramon!" he shouted. "Kill them both at once!"  
  
After making sure his orders would be followed, the blue-haired boy turned to face the Child digimon huddled in the corner. "And as for you..." He raised his whip. "Don't worry. It won't hurt...MUCH."  
  
*I forgive you, Ken.* It was the last thought Wormmon ever had.  
  
***  
  
Hikari struggled in Phantomon's grip, her eyes widening in fear as he brought his scythe to her throat. Her spirits rose as she saw the feline digimon enter the room where she was being held. "Tailmon!"  
  
Her excited happiness turned to fear when the Adult turned icy blue eyes in her direction. Tailmon slowly walked up to the little girl.  
  
"Did you actually think I'd betray my lord, Keeper of Light?" she asked softly. "He took me in, gave me a home, helped me become the person I am...did you really think I'd give all that up for the friendship of a weakling human child?"  
  
Not waiting for an answer, she quickly slashed the tip of one claw across the girl's throat.  
  
Tailmon licked the blood from her claws as Phantomon let the dead girl's body fall to the floor. They left the room together.  
  
She didn't spare a glance at the dead human behind her. Her last connection to the past had been severed.  
  
***  
  
Tailmon sank her claws into Vamdemon's arm. She knew he would kill her for that, but she couldn't bring herself to care anymore.  
  
The people who should have been her closest friends were all dead; she would never get a chance to know them. Even her human partner, Yagami Hikari, was dead: Vamdemon had forced Tailmon to watch as Phantomon took her life with a single swing of his scythe.  
  
"I suppose you're going to kill me now?" she asked dully, all the strength gone from her voice.  
  
Vamdemon looked down at her, shaking his head slowly. "Oh, no, Tailmon. You'll live with the failure to defend your charge for the rest of your life. You have my permission to hurt her, Phantomon, but not to take her life. Death is too light a punishment for her. Take her away!"  
  
***  
  
"Momoe, where are we going?" Miyako asked, as she was jostled around in her oldest sister's grip.  
  
The older girl didn't answer as she raced down the final flight of stairs, coming to a stop in the lowest basement of Hikarigaoka.  
  
"Get down and cover your head with your hands," Momoe ordered, getting into the same position. "Do it NOW, Miyako!" she screamed as the air raid siren began to sound.  
  
The little girl began to cry, more afraid of the fear in her sister's voice then of the wailing sound above them. "Where's Mama and Papa, and Mantarou and Chizuru? Are they gonna be okay?"  
  
"I don't know, Miyako," Momoe replied. "I just don't know."  
  
*Those two digimon who were fighting the virus on the Internet...I can't believe they lost...She shook her head. It'd be stupid to blame them; it's all Diablomon's fault...*  
  
She crouched over her youngest sister, using her body as a shield to protect her as the bomb went off and the entire weight of the high-rise building fell in on them.  
  
***  
  
Hawkmon sighed again as he watched Miyako clamber down the rope to the bottom of the crater. "Miyako, what are you doing now?"  
  
"Leave me alone, Hawkmon!" came her shouted reply. "I'm tough; I can do anything I want to!"  
  
"That's good, Miyako," Hawkmon said, "but you have no idea who or what could be down there!"  
  
The lavender-haired girl's attention was drawn by movement below her. "Whoa, that's the biggest spider I ever saw...I always hated spiders...SOMEBODY GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  
  
Takeru, Hikari, and Daisuke pulled back on the rope to bring their friend back up. They could feel the rope swaying in their hands as Miyako moved back and forth, trying to get enough leverage to kick the Dokugumon away from her.  
  
The Chosen felt the rope go slack in their hands as the Dokugumon chewed through it, and they listened in horror when Miyako began to scream.  
  
***  
  
"He doesn't have any choice but to come now..." Millenniumon said to himself as the six Chosen he had captured thrashed and screamed with their own personal nightmares. "Let the games begin." 


	4. Trapped

Disclaimer: It wasn't mine when I started and it isn't mine now.  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
Tailmon grimaced as she pulled herself up to a standing position, leaning against the wall for support.  
  
"Hikari?" she called. "Miyako? Hawkmon? Wormmon? Ken? Can any of you hear me? If anyone can hear me, answer me and let me know if you're all right!"  
  
For a few minutes, she listened for any response. As she started to give up, she heard a shuffling noise on the other side of the wall.  
  
Tailmon put her ear to the wall, and heard someone cough weakly. "Hikari? Is that you?" she asked again.  
  
She heard the familiar sound of heavy chains dragging over stone, and then the voice of the former Kaiser spoke weakly. "N-not Hi-Hikari..." He broke into another coughing fit. "K-Ken."  
  
Tailmon scowled sharply. The human didn't sound very good at all. "All right, Ken," she said as she began using her sharp claws to dig through the stone. "I'm going to get both of us out of here."  
  
***  
  
Akiyama Ryo walked down the shadowy, torch-lit corridor, flanked by two SkullSatamon guards. An uncharacteristically silent Monodramon followed a short distance behind him, glaring hatefully at the two demons.  
  
They stopped before a set of elaborately carved wooden doors. The two SkullSatamon opened the doors, standing to either side to allow Ryo and Monodramon to enter the vast room.  
  
Millenniumon stared down at them from the far side of the room. "Welcome, Akiyama Ryo."  
  
"Enough games, Millenniumon," Ryo growled. "What have you done with our friends?"  
  
"You don't have to worry about them; they'll be safe..."  
  
Ryo folded his arms. "What's the catch?"  
  
The evil digimon laughed, the sound echoing around the cave-like room. "Nothing gets past you, does it?" He paused. "I will release your friends in exchange for your promise to stay here."  
  
Ryo shook his head. "You'll have to PROVE that they're okay first."  
  
Monodramon looked up at his human in shock. "Y-you're n-not r-really go- gonna l-listen t-to h-him, a-are y-you, R-Ryo?"  
  
The Tamer shrugged. "I don't think we've got much of a choice-let's just see what he's planning, Monodramon."  
  
***  
  
Raidramon growled in frustration. He and his partner still had no idea of what happened to their missing friends or where they could be, even though several hours had passed.  
  
Daisuke looked down when he heard his friend express his annoyance. "Worried about Hikari, huh?"  
  
"I don't get it," the blue dragon replied. "I should have at least been able to pick up their trail by now...unless whoever or whatever that energy signature belonged to doesn't WANT us to find them."  
  
"You think it has them?" the red-haired boy thought out aloud. "Got any idea what it is?"  
  
"Well, it COULD be Millenniumon," Raidramon replied. "If it is, though, we'd have to get Ryo's help."  
  
Daisuke scowled. "You know I don't like that guy."  
  
"Just because I was one of his partners isn't any reason for you to hate him. Besides, he's got Monodramon now. You've got nothing to worry about."  
  
His partner grimaced. "Sure, everything's just great. Except for the fact that Millenniumon might've captured our friends."  
  
"Well, I'll do everything in my power to get Hikari back safe," Raidramon answered. "Just like you'll try to rescue Ken."  
  
***  
  
Ken and Tailmon currently had their backs to a massive wall of stone and were edging along the narrow ledge.  
  
Tailmon was half-supporting Ken, who was unable to stand up on his own now. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and she was becoming increasingly worried about the harsh coughing fits the human was having.  
  
The Keeper of Kindness stared down into the abyss stretching out below them, his eyes focused on something far below. "I wonder what that is..."  
  
Tailmon followed her friend's gaze, staring down at the same object. "I wonder..." she muttered. "Could it be my Holy Ring?"  
  
She made Ken sit down, after wringing out a promise that he wouldn't fall asleep or go anywhere while she was gone.  
  
Tailmon climbed down the face of the cliff, digging her claws into the rock and then pulling them out as she did so.  
  
She supported herself with one paw, leaning over to get a better glimpse of the object. "I was right!" she exclaimed, now in a much better mood. She replaced the golden ring on her tail, then quickly ascended the cliff.  
  
*Maybe now I'll have enough strength to get us out of here safely,* she thought as she rejoined Ken.  
  
***  
  
Hikari was awakened by angry voices shouting outside her cell.  
  
"This is all YOUR fault!" a scratchy male voice snarled.  
  
A low female voice laughed in response. "Oh, yes, it's always my fault. You IDIOT! Those claws of hers can cut through almost anything! Master Millenniumon won't be pleased when I inform him of your failure."  
  
*...Millenniumon...?* Hikari's face paled with utter horror as her memories of the ambush in the forest came rushing back all at once. She struggled to her feet and attempted to get a glimpse of her jailors.  
  
One of them was a male demon digimon. His face appeared to be nothing more then a leering greyish-black skull, and his body seemed to be made of hard red bones. Two ragged black wings sprouted from his back, and he was grasping a long bladed staff in his hands.  
  
The other was a woman who appeared to have the hind legs of a leopard. Two long, black tails waved in the air behind her, and two black cat ears grew from her head. Long fiery-red hair flowed from her head, and her face was half-covered with a filmy purple veil.  
  
Hikari was unfamiliar with both of them. She glanced over her shoulder at her friend, who was stomping toward her, an enraged look on her face.  
  
Miyako grasped the bars and began yelling at the man and woman, who Hikari was almost certain were both Perfects.  
  
The Keeper of Light tugged on her friend's sleeve, desperately urging her to be quiet. "Miyako, please...you'll only make them mad..."  
  
The taller girl shrugged her off. "Hey, you can at LEAST tell us who you ARE!" she shouted at the two digimon, who were watching her with matching amused expressions.  
  
The demon man stepped forward. "SkullSatamon," he said. "YOU," he growled, his gaze raking across Hikari. "It's your partner's fault that I'm in trouble now."  
  
"Enough of your whining. You have no one to blame except yourself," the woman snapped. She pointed at herself. "You can call me Bastemon."  
  
"My name's Inoue Miyako." The lavender-haired girl stuck a hand through the cell bars.  
  
"Miyako!" Hikari gasped. "What are you DOING?!"  
  
"I'm making friends, what does it look like?" the Keeper of Love and Purity replied. "This is gonna sound REALLY weird...but I feel like I can trust her. She's not gonna hurt us...Are you?" she asked, a note of uncertainty entering her voice.  
  
The woman didn't reply; she seemed to have been shocked into silence. She was completely unable to tear her gaze from the Chosen Child's. "It...it can't be..." she whispered, too softly for the other three people to hear her.  
  
Slowly, she extended one hand and grasped Miyako's. 


	5. Discovery

Disclaimer: It wasn't mine when I started and it isn't mine now.  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
Tailmon's ears twitched as she heard voices speaking below them. She reluctantly left Ken and peered over the tip of the ledge they were currently occupying.  
  
What she saw was something she would never have thought possible if she hadn't seen it for herself.  
  
The two figures in the room spreading out below her must have heard her slight hiss. Both of them turned to look up in her direction; one frowned, and the other smiled slowly.  
  
She jumped backward, then glanced at Ken. *Okay, this is DEFINITELY going to give me a headache later,* she thought. *But forget about that for now. I've got to get both of us away from here, before either of them find us.*  
  
"W-what d-d-did y-you s-s-see d-down th-there, Ta-Tailmon?" Ken whispered, shivering violently.  
  
The Adult digimon shook her head. "It's not important, Ken. Don't worry about it."  
  
***  
  
Bastemon slid the key into the lock, allowing the cell door to swing open. She had sent SkullSatamon back to their master; so she wouldn't have to hear any complaining from him, at least.  
  
"You, stay here," she told Hikari shortly, then turned to the purple-haired girl. "Let's go."  
  
"HEY!" Miyako protested. "Hikari goes where I go!"  
  
The smaller girl shook her head. "It's okay, Miyako. You go ahead."  
  
The Keeper of Love and Purity glanced between her best friend and the strange woman she was drawn to. "Well...okay, Hikari," she relented.  
  
Bastemon stood to the side to allow Miyako a clear path out, then closed the door and motioned for the girl to follow her.  
  
***  
  
Taichi slammed his open hand against the tabletop, making both Sora and Jyou jump. "What do you MEAN, the Gates are all closed?" he demanded, his face reddening. "Call Koushiro; HE'LL be able to force them open!"  
  
"Taichi..." Sora trailed off. She had never realized it before, but Taichi was...intimidating when he got angry. *He's not going to like what I have to say...* "We already talked to Koushiro. There's nothing he can do."  
  
"If HE can't open them, then what are we supposed to DO?!" he demanded. "That's my sister stuck over there!"  
  
*How about waiting for a while? Even YAMATO wasn't this upset when Koushiro told him.* Outwardly, Sora shrugged.  
  
"Who else is over there?"  
  
"Takeru, Patamon...all the new Chosen," Jyou said. "And Ryo and Monodramon."  
  
Taichi snorted. "Those two don't count. They live there anyway. Let's just try to open one of the Gates by ourselves."  
  
Sora sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Taichi, the Gates can't just be forced open. You know that."  
  
***  
  
Daisuke and Raidramon now stood at the base of an enormously high cliff. Both of them were looking for a possible way to scale it, but that didn't really seem possible; the cliff-face was nearly vertical.  
  
Raidramon considered the problem for a few minutes, then turned his head toward his partner. "Fladramon could get up there."  
  
Daisuke nodded in agreement, and his friend shrank back into the smaller form of V-mon. "Digimental up!"  
  
"V-mon, armor evolve..."  
  
A wave of fire exploded around his body, which was quickly growing into a taller dragon-like creature. His arms, legs, and face were all protected by red armor decorated with stylized flames.  
  
"...Burning with Courage, Fladramon!"  
  
The bipedal blue dragon wrapped one arm around his human's waist, then leaped into the air, sinking the claws of his free hand into the rock for support.  
  
The two friends spent several hours ascending the cliff. When they finally reached the top, Fladramon set Daisuke down, and both of them looked around.  
  
They found themselves standing on a large plateau of rock, at the far end of which was a vast labyrinthine castle that appeared to have been grown from the very mountain it rested on.  
  
"That must be where our friends are," Daisuke muttered, glaring at the towering pile of rock.  
  
V-mon was bent over, gasping for breath. He had never spent this long in one of his higher forms, and he was exhausted. "Daisuke, I wanna get Hikari back and everything...but I don't think I can walk another step today. I'm sorry."  
  
***  
  
Tailmon prodded Ken's shoulder sharply, almost to the point of drawing blood. "Come on, Ken," she growled. "Don't fall asleep. You have to stay awake."  
  
The blue-haired boy was on the verge of passing out; his fever was too high. She couldn't even be sure if he heard her voice.  
  
The cat digimon knew if she wasn't able to get them out of this place, that he could die. She pressed one ear against his chest; his breathing sounded more shallow and ragged then it had just an hour ago. This was more serious then just a cold; he needed to get back to Earth.  
  
***  
  
Bastemon and Miyako arrived in a large, cave-like room. Standing at the far end was the same digimon who Miyako recognized as having attacked her and her friends before.  
  
The lavender-haired girl watched him warily as Bastemon bowed, then pulled her forward. "Master Millenniumon," she said, more then a little pride in her voice. "Allow me to present my daughter, Miyanumon."  
  
Miyako stared in disbelief. "WHAAAAAT??!!!!"  
  
Millenniumon stared down at both of them. "After all these years, Bastemon, you pull this human child out of thin air and declare that she is your missing child? You will have to prove to me that what you say is true."  
  
Bastemon turned to Miyako. "Attack me," she said abruptly.  
  
The Chosen Child stared in shock. "You want me to WHAT?!"  
  
The Viral woman sighed. "I want you to attack me. Focus your power and use it to attack me."  
  
"Are you NUTS?! I don't HAVE any power! If this is your idea of a joke, lady, then it's a really bad one! I'm just a human; I don't have any special attacks like you do!"  
  
The Virus's only answer was to lunge at Miyako. The lavender-haired girl took a step back, then felt something shift inside her. She didn't have to look down to know that her appearance had changed; she just knew. "Mau Cacin!" she cried out, as the words formed in her mind.  
  
Bastemon narrowly sidestepped the blast; she had known the girl's power was strong, but she hadn't expected to be singed by it.  
  
She waited for Miyako to finish examining herself. When she looked up, the woman smiled and spoke. "Welcome back, Miyanumon." 


	6. Alliance

Disclaimer: If you don't understand that it's not mine, go sit in a corner.  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
"If the Gates won't open on their own, then why don't you try to get to your mom's attention, Sora?" Taichi asked, turning toward her. "Ask HER to open one for us."  
  
"Taichi, she can't be bothered with something little like this," the red- haired girl replied. "Just wait a while; maybe our friends will be able to find whoever or whatever closed them in the first place."  
  
"Well, I'm going back to my apartment to pack a bag in case we have to go over there," Jyou said.  
  
"Good idea," Sora said. She took his hand and they walked out of the Yagami apartment together.  
  
***  
  
Hikari looked up as her friend stopped in front of the cell door. "Hi, Miyako," she greeted. "What did that woman want? Did she hurt you? Are you okay?"  
  
Miyako shrugged. "I don't know who I am anymore, Hikari."  
  
"What do you mea..." Hikari paused in realization. "Oh."  
  
"She told me things about myself...Okay, this is gonna make me sound crazy, but she's my...mother." Miyako shook her head. *This is going to take a little getting used to.*  
  
Hikari nodded, not saying anything.  
  
"I mean, hey, I knew my mother wasn't my real mother; my dad and some other woman had me. But I never thought it would turn out to be a DIGIMON." Miyako trailed off when she saw the look in her friend's eyes. "Wait a minute...You know, don't you? How'd you figure it out so fast?"  
  
The Keeper of Light seemed to shimmer with an aura of white light for a moment. When the glow faded away, her appearance had changed.  
  
Miyako's jaw dropped open in astonishment. "Wow." *She's so beautiful.*  
  
Hikari's regular clothes had disappeared, replaced by a tight-fitting green shirt partially covered by a short white dress. A golden piece of armor was clamped onto her left shoulder. Descending from it was a long piece of lavender cloth that wrapped around her waist from behind her back. White leggings covered her legs up to her knees, which were also covered by golden armor. Two gauntlets made of green metal covered her wrists, and a band made of the same metal wrapped around her throat. Her hair was now much longer and seemed to wave in a wind that Miyako couldn't feel. Growing from her back were two great golden wings.  
  
"You can call me Hiykamon when I'm in this form," she said. "What should I call you when you're in your other form? Can I see it?"  
  
*I wonder how many of the other Chosen Children are like this...* Miyako shook the numbness from her mind and nodded. "S-sure, Hikar-I mean, Hiykamon." She concentrated for a few seconds, then felt the still- unfamiliar sensation of power flowing through her.  
  
The Keeper of Light watched as her friend's transformation completed. The older girl now definitely resembled Bastemon. Sharply-curved claws extended from her hands. Short white fur streaked with red covered her arms, and probably most of her body; Hikari couldn't tell for sure. Two red cat's ears grew from her head, and a red tail grew from the base of her spine.  
  
"You can call me Miyanumon," the transformed girl announced. When she spoke, her friend could see her oversized feline fangs. "Now, let's get out of here!"  
  
***  
  
The demon digimon looked down at the dark-haired boy, who was lying on the cold stone floor and burning with fever. She knelt next to him and prodded him experimentally.  
  
*Looks like he's not going to wake up any time soon,* she thought, then sighed. "Come on, kid, let's go."  
  
Tailmon returned from her short exploration up ahead. Immediately, her eyes narrowed angrily and her fists clenched. "Get AWAY from him!" she snarled.  
  
LadyDevimon turned, glancing down at her. "Oh, it's YOU," she said, with a sigh of annoyance.  
  
"If you hurt him, I SWEAR..."  
  
The Virus laughed. "Don't worry; I have every reason NOT to hurt him, and a few to help him. If you're coming, let's go."  
  
Tailmon hissed under her breath as she thought about it. This woman might be her arch-rival, but it looked as if LadyDevimon wanted the same thing she did, although Tailmon had no idea why the fallen angel would want to help anyone but herself.  
  
The other woman was already walking away with Ken, and Tailmon reluctantly followed. She might not like LadyDevimon very much, but maybe together, they would be able to help him.  
  
She hoped.  
  
***  
  
Hikari and Miyako stopped in their tracks as the Kaiser appeared at the far end of the hallway, blocking their way.  
  
The lavender-haired girl's fists clenched and she bared her fangs. "What the HELL kind of game is this, Ichijouji?!" she demanded.  
  
He said nothing as he began walking toward them. In his hand was an Evil Spiral.  
  
"I KNEW we couldn't trust you!" Miyako snarled. "You pretended to be in trouble so Millenniumon could catch us! You set us up, BASTARD!"  
  
The Kaiser completely ignored her, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "One Spiral, two freaks of nature. Which one of you would make a more powerful slave?" His gaze passed across the taller girl, then settled on Hikari.  
  
Miyako stepped protectively in front of her. "HEY! You leave her ALONE!"  
  
He half-turned to face her. "Do you want to be Ringed instead?"  
  
Bastemon's daughter bared her fangs at him again, her eyes blazing with rage. "You can go-"  
  
The Kaiser raised his whip and lashed out at her. Miyako felt the leather cord wrap around her neck, cutting off her breath.  
  
"MIYAKO!" Hikari cried out.  
  
As the Kaiser jerked his arm back in an attempt to strangle the life out of her, Miyako grasped the cord with both hands, pulling back on it.  
  
The blue-haired boy glared as the girl freed herself from the whip's coils, taking a deep breath of air.  
  
He turned toward Hikari and tossed the Spiral at her. The brown-haired girl covered her eyes and fearfully waited for the metal to clamp around her arm.  
  
"X Laser!" a deep male voice called out.  
  
The golden energy blast slammed into the Spiral, shattering it before it reached Hikari.  
  
***  
  
A short distance away, Tailmon's ears twitched and she stopped, looking around for the source of the sudden shout.  
  
LadyDevimon had also stopped. "Sounds like your friends are in trouble." She looked down at the boy she held in her arms. "I don't think he should be anywhere near a battle right now, not with how sick he is."  
  
Tailmon frowned briefly; she still wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving Ken alone with LadyDevimon. She glanced up at her unconscious friend, then slowly nodded. "I'll go ahead to check things out." 


	7. Sacrifice

Disclaimer: Still not mine.  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
"I want you to do something for me, Ryo."  
  
The red-haired boy turned to glare at Millenniumon. "You want ME to actually do something for YOU?"  
  
"I want you to kill these two children." Pictures of the Keepers of Hope and Light appeared on the air.  
  
Ryo snorted. "You expect me to hurt my FRIENDS?!"  
  
"You know who they really are, don't you?"  
  
"Th-that d-d-doesn't m-matter!" Monodramon exclaimed. "Y-you're a-an i- idiot i-if y-you r-r-really ex-expect u-us t-to d-do s-s-something l-like th-that!"  
  
"So...even after what the Holy Beasts have done to you, you tell me don't want revenge on them?" Millenniumon questioned.  
  
"Look," Ryo said slowly, anger rising inside him. "Takeru and Hikari are my FRIENDS. NOTHING you can say will make me hurt them!"  
  
"What makes you think they ARE your friends? They're nothing but misbegotten stains on the Digital World."  
  
"It doesn't matter what the Holy Beasts have done to me in the past," Ryo said. "I won't hurt their kids."  
  
***  
  
Hikari concentrated for a second and then felt the familiar sensation of reverting back to her human form. As she looked over at Miyako, she saw that her friend was doing the same thing, although it wasn't as easy for her. Sweat dripped down her face and her fists were clenched with the strain.  
  
"Don't worry, Miyako. It was hard for me, too, at first, but it gets easier," she said.  
  
"HIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKAAAAAAARRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
And then V-mon was right next to her. Hikari had never seen him move that quickly for anything except food.  
  
The blue dragon threw his arms around her waist in a tight hug. "Hikari! It's you! You're alive! You're okay! The Kaiser didn't get you! We found you in time! HikariHikariHikariHikariHikariHikariHikari!!!!"  
  
Miyako was glaring daggers and starting to say something nasty to him. He jumped away from Hikari and looked apologetic.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hikari," V-mon said. "It's just we looked and looked we couldn't find you anywhere I was afraid you might not be okay but you're really okay and I'm so happy you're okay I'm happy to see you!"  
  
"I'm glad you're okay, too," the brown-haired girl answered.  
  
Meanwhile, Daisuke was standing there in disbelief and amazement. He glanced back and forth between Miyako and Hikari, his jaw hanging open. "You're...DIGIMON???!!!!!!"  
  
Hikari nodded. "Well, partly. We just call ourselves 'breeds."  
  
Daisuke stared. "`WE?!' Who else is like this?"  
  
"Sora, Takeru, and Koushiro. There might be others, but we don't know for sure."  
  
"...Others...? Like...me? No way!"  
  
Hikari shrugged. "Doubtful. Koushiro's never found any information about you on any of our digivices."  
  
Miyako blinked as she thought of something. "Hey...that's why you surprised when I told you, Hikari! You already knew I was like this!"  
  
The smaller girl nodded. "After we defeated the Kaiser, Koushiro checked to see if there was any information about you in his analyzer."  
  
"Ya know, I always felt...different. I always was able to do things that surprised everyone...like climbing that Dark Tower."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" Daisuke asked, slightly hurt that the older Chosen hadn't trusted him with this secret.  
  
Hikari gestured at the Kaiser. "Because of him. Can you imagine what would have happened if he had Ringed one of us?"  
  
"I don't even want to think about it," Daisuke replied.  
  
The implication of the events he and V-mon had arrived in time to stop suddenly hit him. "KEN!! How could you DO this?! How could you go back to being the Kaiser?! And how could you do that to Hikari? She's your friend!"  
  
The Kaiser laughed. "She's nothing but a freak, and I can do what I want with her." He turned to glare at V-mon. "You'll regret breaking her Spiral. I worked very hard on it; it was designed specifically for her."  
  
***  
  
"You aren't going anywhere."  
  
Tailmon and LadyDevimon turned to face the speaker. Both of them scowled, glaring threateningly at him.  
  
"If you so much as THINK of hurting my son, Vamdemon," LadyDevimon hissed, "I'll turn you into MINCEMEAT!"  
  
Tailmon was only mildly surprised by LadyDevimon's words. She had begun to suspect it as she watched how the demon acted with him and some of the things she had said. Stranger things had happened.  
  
She turned her attention back to the present threat. "YOU," she snarled, rage rising up inside her. "Let us pass."  
  
Vamdemon considered for a moment, then nodded. "For a price; one of your lives."  
  
LadyDevimon's wings spread slightly in warning. "We don't have time for your stupid game," she growled. "If Kenjimon dies, I will blame YOU for it. And I will track you down and kill you."  
  
"Is that a threat?"  
  
"No, that's a PROMISE."  
  
"As I said before, I will let you pass for a price: one of your lives." Vamdemon turned to Tailmon, addressing her specifically. "Would you allow another of your friends to die? Or don't you have enough guilt as it is? Choose; the boy, or yourself."  
  
It was no choice at all.  
  
She gritted her teeth. "I'll stay." 


	8. Betrayal

Disclaimer: Still not mine.  
  
Someone to Forgive Me  
  
"What do you think you're doing, sister?" the skeletal Perfect asked, hovering in the air. "Our father gave you orders to find the boy and bring him back."  
  
"Well, then you'll just have to tell him I'm disobeying orders," LadyDevimon retorted. "Go away and tell him I'm my own woman now."  
  
SkullSatamon stared. "I have trouble believing that you of all people would betray our cause just so you can help a pathetic human child. And a Chosen Child, at that."  
  
"He's not just a Chosen Child...he's my son." LadyDevimon's wings spread to their full length. "Get out of my way."  
  
When he didn't move, she scowled. "I don't want to fight you, but if you try to hurt him or take him from me, I'll CRUSH you!"  
  
"Brave words, sister; let's see if you can live up to them! Nail Bone!" The Perfect swung his staff forward, beam of energy shooting in her direction, forcing her to dodge.  
  
***  
  
Takaishi Takeru turned his face upward as he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, Angemon...what do you think that is?"  
  
The holy digimon also looked up, following his partner's gaze. The two figures were too far up for either of them to make out clearly; they could only see the vague outlines. But it was obvious that they were fighting.  
  
"Is it BlackWarGreymon?" Takeru asked, his fists clenching at the thought.  
  
His partner shrugged. "It might be. It surprises me that anyone would be willing to fight him, though."  
  
"Well, whoever they are, neither of them are probably friendly."  
  
***  
  
The Kaiser turned toward the four Chosen. "Since the Spiral I made for you was broken," he said, his gaze on the Keeper of Light, "I'll just have to use a regular one."  
  
V-mon glared at him. "HEY! I won't let you do that to Hikari! V-mon Head!"  
  
As he threw himself forward, intent on crashing into the Kaiser's stomach, the whip slashed through the air, slicing into his back.  
  
Daisuke glared at the other boy angrily. "What gives you the right..."  
  
"That's the wrong question. You should ask, 'who' gives me the right."  
  
"Arachnimon...Shoulda known she's behind all this," Miyako muttered.  
  
"Arachnimon serves the same master I do," the Kaiser replied. "All of you, move. Now. Millenniumon requests your presence."  
  
"Ken, please don't do this!" Daisuke pleaded. "Ken, I know you can't have forgotten about everything we've done together!"  
  
"We're not going anywhere with YOU," Miyako retorted. "Come on, everyone, let's get out of here."  
  
Hikari started toward her, but the Kaiser blocked her path. He reached out, grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her forward.  
  
Miyako's fists clenched, and she shifted to her digimon form. "Get AWAY from her," she hissed. "I'm WARNING you, Ichijouji!"  
  
As the Kaiser and Miyanumon faced off, Hikari clutched her head and began to sway on her feet.  
  
"Hikari?" V-mon asked, taking a step in her direction.  
  
The Keeper of Light fell to her knees. "Tailmon..." she whispered, her face paling.  
  
"What about Tailmon?" Daisuke asked. "What's happening to you?"  
  
"She's...she's in pain," Hikari groaned. "Someone's hurting her...something terrible is happening to her." The halfbreed struggled to rise onto her feet. "I can feel what he's doing to her...We have to find her right now, before he kills her!"  
  
Hikari then let out a long, loud scream of pain. Her arms were flung back against the wall, and her wrists began to bleed.  
  
"HIKARI!" Miyako and V-mon shouted, both running to her side.  
  
Miyako had one hand over her mouth, staring in horror as her girlfriend writhed in agony. V-mon stared at the brown-haired girl with shock on his face. He wanted to help her somehow, anyhow, but he had no idea how to do that. How could he help her when he didn't understand what was happening to her?  
  
***  
  
LadyDevimon dodged to the side as the blast of energy seared past, leaving a burn mark on her leg. "AHH! You..."  
  
The boy in her arms groaned and stirred slightly; he was still unconscious with fever and helpless.  
  
His mother ground her teeth in both frustration and determination. *I'll get you out of here, no matter WHAT it takes,* she vowed silently.  
  
Another Nail Bone speared outward from SkullSatamon's staff. The demon woman twisted away in an attempt to get her son out of the line of fire.  
  
"Come on, LadyDevimon!" he taunted. "Show me what you can do!"  
  
"Heaven's Knuckle!" a deep male voice shouted, and a golden beam of energy streaked upward from below.  
  
SkullSatamon snarled as the blast singed one of his wings. "That hurt..." he muttered, then smirked as the source of the attack appeared. "Oh, I'm looking forward to THIS."  
  
LadyDevimon's gaze turned in Angemon's direction. "You!" she called. "Are you the Angemon partnered with the Keeper of Hope?"  
  
When the Adult nodded slowly, she held out Ken's unconscious body to him. "I'll deal with my brother; you take care of Kenjimon."  
  
"Not so fast! Nail Bone!"  
  
The yellow blast burned through her right wing, leaving a large hole in it. No longer having the support of both of her wings, the Perfect began to fall.  
  
LadyDevimon flipped herself over, so that her back was facing the ground. She held Ken protectively to her chest as the ground came rushing up to meet them.  
  
***  
  
The Kaiser watched Hikari's agony for a few moments, then shrugged. It was interesting that she felt her digimon's pain, but he didn't actually care about how she felt.  
  
Daisuke turned in his direction when he heard him snap his fingers. Miyako and V-mon were too busy with Hikari to worry about anything else.  
  
Miyako stood back a little when Hikari was able to open her eyes, her pain fading somewhat. V-mon glomped onto the girl. "You're okay!"  
  
The brown-haired girl nodded. "Yes, V-mon. I'm okay...mostly."  
  
The Viral halfbreed cleared her throat loudly. "She'd be a LOT better if you weren't trying to block off her windpipe."  
  
Daisuke's face paled when he saw the digimon the Kaiser had called appear behind him. "Hey guys, we've got bigger problems right now...Arachnimon's here."  
  
Miyako scowled at the woman and wrapped one arm protectively around Hikari. V-mon moved to his partner's side, preparing to evolve.  
  
"Spider Thread!" the woman called, and the four friends found themselves tangled up in thick red webbing.  
  
The Kaiser turned and began to walk off. He had quickly lost patience with all of them.  
  
***  
  
Takeru watched as the dark digimon fell into the stand of trees not far away, and went for a closer look.  
  
As the Keeper of Hope approached the fallen digimon, his expression changed, turning into first a look of disbelief, then growing fear. He stopped short, his jaw hanging open as he stared. "What's LadyDevimon doing with KEN?!"  
  
Patamon, who had devolved and quickly flown down to his partner, had no answer.  
  
The Virus groaned, using the trunk of a nearby tree to support herself as she pulled herself up. Takeru and Patamon watched her warily.  
  
"...What do you want?" the Keeper of Hope asked finally.  
  
The demon turned toward him. "I need your help." She paused; it was hard for her to ask for someone's help, even with this. "My son is sick, and I know you have the power of healing."  
  
Takeru blinked. *Ken's a 'breed?!*  
  
***  
  
A wave of satisfaction passed over Millenniumon as his servants herded the four Chosen into the massive room.  
  
The Kaiser and Arachnimon bowed. "The Chosen, just as you ordered," the blue-haired boy announced.  
  
Daisuke glanced to the left...and felt his blood turn to ice. "Oh, SHIT," was all he could think to say.  
  
Miyako and V-mon turned to look at him. "What is it?" the dragon-like Child asked.  
  
The red-haired boy could say nothing. He just pointed.  
  
Miyako gagged as she realized just what Hikari had meant when she said Tailmon was being hurt.  
  
Hikari followed Daisuke's gaze, and felt her skin crawl. Her face turned grey-white as she began to scream.  
  
"Okay, that's enough looking." Miyako turned the smaller girl away, letting Hikari lean against her as she cried.  
  
To their left, raised high off the ground on a wooden cross, was Tailmon.  
  
Miyako gagged again as her attention turned back to the Adult feline. Nails had been driven through her wrists and feet; they could see blood flowing from the wounds.  
  
"She deserved everything I have done to her," Vamdemon said. "And more. But she is dying now, and will be disposed of outside."  
  
Miyako scowled darkly. "She doesn't deserve to be treated like this-you're nothing but a sadistic BASTARD!"  
  
"I suppose she never told you of how she betrayed me, then."  
  
The Keeper of Love and Purity shook her head angrily. "Of COURSE she told us-she told all us new Chosen."  
  
Vamdemon folded his arms, smiling smugly down at the halfbreed. "You Chosen are all alike-self-righteous fools. I thought you would have a little more sense, Miyanumon. What would your mother say?"  
  
"Don't you DARE bring her into this! I may be a Virus, but I'm NOTHING like YOU! You're a heartless MONSTER!!"  
  
As the two Viruses continued to argue, Daisuke and V-mon's attention turned back to Millenniumon as he addressed their guards. "You have done well, my servants."  
  
"May I have your permission to Spiral them, Master Millenniumon?" the Kaiser asked.  
  
The dark god nodded. "Yes."  
  
"NO!" Daisuke shouted desperately. "Ken, PLEASE! You don't have to do this! We're your FRIENDS!"  
  
The Kaiser laughed. "Oh, you still think I'm your weak friend? You don't even understand the rules of the game yet, then."  
  
Three Evil Spirals appeared in the air before him. With a wave of his hand, they flew toward V-mon and the two halfbreed girls.  
  
Daisuke watched helplessly as the Spirals clamped around his friends' arms, and he let out a sob of despair as their eyes began to glow red.  
  
***  
  
The first Chosen looked up as Mrs. Yagami, also known as Xuanwumon, entered the living room. They had gotten the call to meet here, and hoped she could tell them how they could help their friends trapped in the Digital World. "Hello, Chosen Children," she greeted, nodding to each of them.  
  
Taichi got to his feet. "Can you get us into the Digital World?" he asked.  
  
She nodded. "The current situation in the Digital World has deteriorated enough to draw the attention of myself and the other Sovereigns. I hope you've packed your bags, because I can't say when you'll be able to return to Earth."  
  
"Are our friends safe?' Jyou asked.  
  
The Holy Beast paused. "In a manner of speaking."  
  
Taichi sighed to himself. His adoptive mother's roundabout way of talking could really get on his nerves sometimes. "But they're still alive, right?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she answered, then turned to address the group. "Are you ready to leave?"  
  
The Ultimate's answer was a collective nod. 


	9. Meetings

From high in the air, Sora gazed down at Milleniumon's mountain fortress, frowning.  
  
"NOW what are we supposed to do?" Jyou demanded.  
  
Taichi's fists clenched. "We go in there and kick his ass again."  
  
"I don't think it's going to be that easy," Koushiro said from his position on AtlurKabuterimon's back. "We don't know who he's got in there with him."  
  
"And our friends...We might have to fight them." Mimi shivered.  
  
"The sooner we get this over, the better," Garudamon said.  
  
***  
  
Ken opened his eyes slowly, looking around in confusion. "What...where am I?"  
  
A woman spoke off to his right. "Are you feeling better now?"  
  
The Keeper of Kindness turned his head in her direction and saw two high- heeled boots standing next to him. His gaze traveled up her body to her face. Two glowing red eyes set in a pale face stared back at him.  
  
Ken tried to get up, but fell back to his knees. He continued to stare at LadyDevimon, knowing he couldn't get away from her. "Wormmon, where are you?! Daisuke! TAILMON!!"  
  
"They're not here, Ken."  
  
Ken turned to face Takeru, now very confused. "What's going on? What's LadyDevimon doing here?"  
  
The demon woman opened her mouth, but Takeru shook his head. She glared darkly at the back of his head as he began to explain.  
  
***  
  
The older Chosen crept through the dark halls of Milleniumon's fortress, not quite sure where they were going or what they would find there.  
  
Xuanwumon had warned them that some of their friends were being held there, and that they had been changed somehow, but when Taichi demanded to know how, she refused to say.  
  
"What are YOU doing here?" a woman's voice hissed.  
  
The Chosen all looked around to see who had spoken, and found themselves face to face with a woman who appeared to be half-leopard. Twin black tails angrily lashed the air behind her and her cat ears were lowered.  
  
"Don't just stand there with your mouths hanging open like the fools you are," she hissed. "Answer me!"  
  
*Must be one of Milleniumon's guards,* Gabumon thought as he evolved into Garurumon. "Fox Fire!"  
  
Bastemon stepped out of the path of his attack and laughed. "You can't hurt me." She kicked him in his side, sending him into the wall. "But I can hurt you."  
  
She looked around at the rest of them. "Who wants to try next? I could use some exercise."  
  
***  
  
Ken stared. "I must be dreaming. This can't be true."  
  
The dark angel looked over at him. "It's true. You know it is."  
  
Takeru glared at her. "Why can't you back off and let him sort through it on his own?"  
  
"Because, little boy," LadyDevimon growled, "he doesn't have the time to do that. I don't like Tailmon much-actually, not at all-but even I wouldn't have done to her what Vamdemon's doing to her right now. And I know how much Kenjimon cares about her. So I'll help you save her."  
  
"Hey, wait a minute!" Patamon protested. "VAMDEMON?!"  
  
"I thought we got rid of him, but..." Takeru trailed off as what the other half of what LadyDevimon had said sank in. "Oh, my god...Tailmon."  
  
Ken looked back over at him. "What about her?"  
  
Takeru smiled weakly. "Don't worry about it. I'm probably wrong."  
  
"Don't WORRY about it?" the former Kaiser shouted. "Tell me what's going on!"  
  
Takeru looked away and shrugged.  
  
"Takeru, please...I have to know. Is Tailmon okay? Is..." Ken paused and his eyes widened in realization. "Vamdemon? She told me about him...she said that he..."  
  
Patamon and Takeru looked on in shock as Ken shifted into his digimon form. Two large, black-feathered wings sprouted from his shoulders and his clothes changed into a masculine version of his mother's.  
  
His eyes glowed faintly red as he turned to them. "Let's go."  
  
Takeru glowed briefly as he also changed. He now wore a set of armor that was decorated in blue and white. Two white wings grew from his back, and he held a sword in one hand. "I'm right behind you."  
  
***  
  
Daisuke rocked back and forth in the corner as he stared at Tailmon's nearly lifeless body.  
  
"All my fault...all my fault...I shouldn't have asked them to come here today...all my fault..."  
  
"It's not all your fault," a quiet male voice said.  
  
Daisuke turned to face the semi-transparent speaker. "Who are YOU?!"  
  
"I'm an old friend," he said, and looked down at himself. "Although I can't help her much right now...you can."  
  
"You're wrong. I can't help anybody," Daisuke muttered. "Miyako, Hikari, and V-mon got 'Ringed because of me. Ken and the others disappeared. And Tailmon's dead."  
  
"No, she's not. Not yet. Not if you do something to help her."  
  
"What can I do?" Daisuke whispered, looking down at his hands. "I'm not special, like Miyako and Hikari. I don't have a digimon form."  
  
"No, but you still have your Digimentals. You CAN help her, you just have to have Courage," the man insisted.  
  
Daisuke slowly pulled himself to his feet. "Thanks for getting me to wake up and stop feeling sorry for myself. What's your name?"  
  
"Wizarmon." 


End file.
